Prosperity keeping country free from militancy: PM

Buddhist community greets her on Buddha Purnima

WT24 Desk

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the government wants to attain economic development keeping the country free from terrorism and militancy, Agencies report.

“It’s
very much regretful that terrorism and militancy have now become a global
problem. Actually, those who’re involved in militancy are just militants,
they’ve no religion, country and border….They’re just militants… this is the
fact. We want to keep Bangladesh free from these [menaces] and free it from
poverty.” she said.

The Prime
Minister said this while speaking at a programme when leaders of the Buddhist
community greeted her on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at her official
residence Ganobhaban.

Sheikh Hasina
said now she can say the country is free from hunger. “We’ve to free the
country from poverty. Currently, we’ve 21 percent poverty, the rate of
ultra poor is 11 percent, we want to free the country from this ultra-poor,
we’ll build the country as a poverty-free one, the government is working
keeping that in mind,” she said.

The Prime
Minister said the government wants the development of all irrespective of
religions and castes. “That’s our duty and that’s our political
ideology.”

The government
believes in communal harmony, she said adding, “In Bangladesh, people
celebrate together the festival of any religion,” she said.

Hasina said
the responsibility of the state is to make sure that the people of all
religions could perform their religious rituals peacefully and independently.
“That’s secularism and non-communalism.”

She also said,
“The Creator will decide what is good or bad, and what is right or wrong. The
Almighty didn’t give that responsibility to human being.”

The Prime
Minister said the government will ensure so that the people of Bangladesh can
perform their religious rituals with dignity and sincerity. “This tolerance
and brotherhood will prevail, and that’s our aim, we’re working to that
end.”

She also urged
all irrespective of their religious identities not to feel neglected.

Former
Industries Minister Dilip Barua also spoke at the programme while special assistant
to the Prime Minister Barrister Biplab Barua conducted it.